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Technology Stocks : Intel Corporation (INTC) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Cory Gault who wrote (123524)	12/20/2000 7:39:26 PM
From: Gary G. Withrow	Respond to of 186894

Re:Every time I read on these boards people commenting on their woes due to being on margin I just shake my head. Me too! Once in the dim dark past I was hit with a series of margin calls at a very difficult time. Haven't used margin for more than a few days since. If I want leverage, I buy options. Gary

To: Cory Gault who wrote (123524)	12/21/2000 2:32:15 AM
From: Amy J	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 186894

OT Cory, RE: "people commenting on their woes" I think the purpose of the thread is to share investment opinions, especially around investment questions from folks who are so admirably honest and open-hearted about it. RE: "I just shake my head." No one was shaking their heads last Spring. Last Spring, some folks on this thread were talking about the great benefits of using margin. Someone happened to ask me if I use margin and I answered with, "never." After my post, I received some posts or PMs that explained all the benefits of margin, but no one (that I recall) posted anything about the disadvantages back then. The past ten or fifteen days have shaken quite a few folks. One contact recently put an incredibly large amount of money that they owe onto a credit card in order to avoid a margin call on stock. The card has such a high limit, that a person could put part of a house mortgage on it, just to give you an idea of the scale. Another Intelebe, who had millions, is now talking about selling their home. Another unfortunately signed a mortgage one day before INTC's first plunge. I'm not justifying the level of risk some folks took, but I would bet these folks are smart engineers and probably a few NCGs, who unfortunately weren't educated in the areas of protective investment instruments, market risks, the different covered call strategies, or placing a protective put on a certain portion of funds before buying their first house. A lot of folks could use investment advice, not criticism. Everyone I know is bullish about Intel as a company and the long-term of INTC, but this economy is beginning to hang quite a few folks and it makes the short-term of INTC somewhat questionable due to the economy. In the face of the recent decline in stock values, I believe more Bay Area folks are just beginning to feel a lot of pressure when it comes to making mortgage payments. If bonuses aren't good, a lot of folks might be scrambling to pay their Silicon Valley home mortgages (which are large relative to other areas of the USA.) Regards, Amy J